Pulling himself up and out of his godmother’s car with his newly-strengthened upper body, 16-year-old Eric Quinn lowered himself into his wheelchair and was ready to be pushed through his front door on Wednesday.

Quinn’s godmother, Sharon Hudson, saw the aftermath of the crash on the news. She called his mom.

“I said, ‘Don't tell me that's Eric under that car.’ And she said, ‘That's Eric.’ And I said, ‘Oh lord,’ and I began to pray,” Hudson said.

Several strangers would dart in to lift the car off him.

For weeks, Quinn was mostly bound to his hospital bed at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.. He suffered several serious injuries, including a broken femur, a crushed pelvis, and a burned hand.

Quinn was later moved to Memorial Regional South where he received intensive inpatient rehabilitation. With the help of a therapy dog, caring nurses, and his own determination to get strong, Quinn was released earlier than scheduled. The smart, smiling teen was known by many on the hospital staff as “the trooper.”

“Wonderful personality, possessed the drive and the motivation, very receptive to the therapists that worked with him,” said nursing manager Beverly Harriott.

“One thing I've learned through the course of the whole recovery process is patience,” Quinn said.

Teachers at Dr. Michael Krop High School, where Quinn attends school, are providing some coursework online. Quinn is unsure when he will be able to attend classes full-time. He hopes to be out of his wheelchair and walking with the assistance of a walker or crutches in the upcoming weeks.

Seeing the bus stop on his ride home proved to be emotional.

“Even coming home and driving right past it, it was like, 'Oh, there's that bus stop.’ But you know -- if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger,” Quinn said.